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The Chase Sapphire Reserve eluded me for more than a year, thanks to the 5/24 rule that pretty much prevents you from getting approved for a Chase card if you’ve opened five or more accounts in the last 24 months. However, once I was eligible for approval, I finally had what I believe to be the perfect quartet of Chase cards to help me get the most out of the Ultimate Rewards program.

Today I want to go through this magical combination to demonstrate just how lucrative it can be.

That being said, this collection of cards may not be the right choice for everyone. TPG himself has written about his perfect Chase trifecta before, while contributor Ethan Steinberg has covered his perfect Amex trifecta and contributor Katie Genter proposed a trio of cash-back, no-annual-fee cards. It all depends on where you typically spend your money on a regular basis, how you want to redeem the points and miles you earn, and how you value the various perks provided on top travel rewards credit cards. As always, be sure to evaluate your own spending habits and redemption goals to select cards that fit your individual situation.

So how do these four cards help me maximize the Ultimate Rewards program? Here’s a rundown of my major categories of expenses:

My wife and I love to eat out, and the Sapphire Reserve offers 3x points on these purchases. Based on TPG’s valuations, that’s a fantastic return of 6%. I’ve also found that Chase tends to be quite broad in how it defines restaurant purchases. I’ve even had bars (that serve no food) and my local private yacht club post as restaurant transactions, so this is a fantastic way to boost your earnings across a variety of merchants. In a typical month, I’d guess that we spend roughly $1,000 on dining out, which translates to $12,000 per year. This means that I’ll take home 36,000 Ultimate Rewards points during a typical year, worth $720.

One of the most lucrative small business credit cards is the Ink Cash. It’s my go-to card for my monthly phone, internet and cable bills in my home office as well as purchases at office supply stores. All of these will earn 5x points on up to $25,000 in combined purchases each year. As mentioned above, the points you earn on this card are technically just redeemable for cash back, but when I transfer them to my Sapphire Reserve, they immediately become transferable to partners like Hyatt and United. As a result, I’m getting a fantastic return of 10% on these purchases.

I’ll typically spend about $400 per month on telecommunications and about $250 per month at office supply stores. This boosts my Ultimate Rewards balances by another 39,000 points each year, worth $780.

Another lucrative card from Chase is the Freedom Unlimited, which offers 3% cash back on up to $20,000 in spend your first year. After that, you’ll get uncapped 1.5% cash back on all purchases. The Freedom Unlimited is a great option for purchases that don’t fall into the typical bonus categories offered by other cards. If you can pair this card with a premium card like the Sapphire Reserve, you’re getting a 6% return on non-bonus spending for the first $20,000 in spend your first year and then a 3% return after that — for me, non-bonus spending includes my monthly utility bill, aftercare charges for my daughter’s school and my monthly Crossfit membership.

I put about $1,000 per month on this card. Since I’ve had my card for years, I can’t take advantage of the first year offer—but if I could, my monthly spending would net me 36,000 Ultimate Rewards points my first year, worth $720. Instead, my monthly spending nets me 18,000 Ultimate Rewards points every year, worth $360.

In each quarter, you earn 5x points on the first $1,500 in eligible purchases in these categories, and I generally max out every one (before shifting my spending back to other, more rewarding options). This translates to 7,500 points per quarter or 30,000 points per year, worth $600.

(Photo by Isabelle Raphael/The Points Guy)

It All Adds Up

Given the above spending habits, how much value do I get from these four cards? If you add up my earnings, I’m taking home roughly 150,000 Ultimate Rewards points every year. This haul is worth $3,000, and with a yearly spending of $46,800, that equates to an incredible return of 6.4%. Even when you take out the $150 effective annual fee that I’m paying on the Sapphire Reserve, it’s still 6.1%, and even that doesn’t factor in the additional perks on the Sapphire Reserve card like Priority Pass membership and primary car rental coverage. It also excludes any bonuses earned from the Ultimate Rewards shopping portal, a simple yet effective strategy for boosting your earnings even higher.

That being said, I don’t put every dollar I spend on one of these four cards. There are a couple of others that offer an even better return on purchases with certain merchants or categories:

If a merchant accepts Amex for a non-bonus category purchase, I’ll typically swipe my Blue Business℠ Plus Credit Card from American Express, since it earns 2x points on all purchases up to $50,000 each year; then 1x. This gives me a return of 4% on these purchases.

Finally, if I’ve recently opened another credit card and am working toward earning a bonus, I’ll typically use that card to ensure I hit the minimum spend threshold required.

Bottom Line

Everyone has their own thoughts on what makes up the best set of travel rewards credit cards, and you may not want to deal with the hassle of tracking multiple cards to be used in different scenarios.

However, to really make the most of your everyday purchases, it’s important to evaluate your portfolio of cards and identify the best combination to maximize your earning rates. By carrying the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Freedom, Chase Freedom Unlimited and Ink Business Cash Credit Card, I firmly believe that I have the perfect combination of Ultimate Rewards credit cards in my wallet. Hopefully this post has shown you just how lucrative this quartet of cards can be!

New Offer! Double Cash Back: Earn 3% cash back on all purchases in your first year up to $20,000 spent. After that earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases.

0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 17.24-25.99%. Balance transfer fee is 3% of the amount transferred, $5 minimum

No minimum to redeem for cash back

Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open

Free credit score, updated weekly with Credit Journey℠

No annual fee

Intro APR on Purchases

0% Intro APR on Purchases for 15 months

Regular APR

17.24% - 25.99% Variable

Annual Fee

$0

Balance Transfer Fee

Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater

Recommended Credit

Excellent/Good

Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Please view our advertising policy page for more information.

Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.